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Attack on Ukraine: Indian students from Kharkiv in Poland after tense 26 hours
MBBS students from Kharkiv National Medical University, who undertook a risky train journey, put up in hotel before they take flight to India
Mosanna Ashraf, a sixth-year MBBS student from Patna, was emotionally overwhelmed after he entered Poland with an estimated 180 other Indians at 11.15am (IST) on Wednesday.
Also read: Russian forces capture Ukraine’s port city Kherson, houses in Kharkiv bombed
A student of Kharkiv National Medical University, Ashraf and his 70 college mates and an equal number of Indian students travelled for about 26 hours to get out of war-torn Ukraine.
Hassle-free entry into Polish territory
The students, who crossed into Poland from the Budomeirz border, appreciated the Indian embassy’s efforts as the group got a hassle-free entry into Polish territory.
“A bus with an Indian flag was waiting for us at the Poland border. It was a smooth entry as none of us were bothered by the Ukrainian border guards or other authorities there. We have been intimated by the Indian embassy that the batch will first go to a hotel before boarding the flight back to India,” said Ashraf.
His batchmate Harjinder Singh said the embassy staff told them that nearly 700 students have assembled in Poland and 360 are being taken to the airport on Wednesday for their flights to India.
The students had boarded a train from Kharkiv around 7 am (Ukrainian time) on Tuesday. The train passed through the capital city of Kyiv that was under intense attack by the Russian forces, they said.
“It was a stressful journey as we intended to get out of Ukraine under all circumstances. On stepping on Polish soil this morning, I spoke briefly with my family. We pray for the safe return of the other stranded students,” Harjinder said, adding they reached Lviv city via Kyiv in 10 hours.
“The train journey between the two cities normally takes about 4-5 hours. But fearing an attack on the national capital of Kyiv by the Russian troops, the railway authorities opted for a longer but safer detour. We arrived at Lviv at 1pm (Ukrainian time) and then took the bus to an immigration border post that was not crowded,” he said.
Ukrainian railways goes the extra mile
Students praised the role of the Ukrainian railways for undertaking the evacuation operation despite the risk involved.
“In an address en route, the locomotive driver told the passengers that he was operating single-handedly for over 12 hours. He was constantly on duty for the last four days and these operations had a sizeable number of Indian and other foreign citizens,” said Harjinder.
The official of the Kharkiv National Medical University, who looks after admissions of Indian students, in a closed group of communication said that all students in Kharkiv would be evacuated on Wednesday under a special plan.
“We pray for the safe exit of everyone from the war zone,” said Harjinder, who is also the monitor of his batch of final year MBBS students.
His father, Gurcharan Singh, who retired from the Punjab education department, said that Indian government officials deserved appreciation for evacuating students from such a hostile condition on foreign soil.
